homemade weight for front of tractor

[kevindsingleton]

That must have been a BIG piece of pipe!

Sounds like it's heavy enough though. Especially if you try to lift it and mount it

8 inch pipe, about three and a half feet long, IIRC. We used an A-frame and come-along to hang it on the Long tractor. It was pretty full, but the weights rattled around, after a while.

 

[radman1]

I would be a little careful what kind of weight you put on the front. Any single piece of weight will be very hard to put on or off. I have used heavy iron and cement in the past but it takes a loader or multiple people to put it on or off. There is a reason why suitcase weights are still the most popular - easy to put on or off. Small weights can be 75# up to 125#. Buying from a dealer is expensive. Look for auctions were they can be had for much cheaper.

The barbell weights are a good idea. Lots of people sell weight sets in the classifieds or on craigslist. You can get 200-300 lbs for not much $$. Still easy to put on/off.
Your size of tractor probably only needs 150-250 lbs.

 

[Ken45101]

I would be a little careful what kind of weight you put on the front. Any single piece of weight will be very hard to put on or off. I have used heavy iron and cement in the past but it takes a loader or multiple people to put it on or off. There is a reason why suitcase weights are still the most popular - easy to put on or off. Small weights can be 75# up to 125#.

True about the suitcase weights being "manageable". But the weight bumper on my Kubota M4700 was 200+# and had to be removed whenever I put the loader on. Putting the loader on and off of that tractor was a bear of a job especially since I never had the hypothetical "flat concrete surface" for it to sit on.

Ken

 

[GE222]

I had a friend who made a front weight out of an old freon cylinder. First a bracket was welded to the side. Then a hole not to big was cut into the cylinder. It was then filled with old nuts and bolts. It took about a year for him scrounging to get enough to fill it up. The hole was then welded shut with a patch. Even has handles on top for a chain to pick it up. It cost virtually nothing and weighs around 250-300lb.

 

[radman1]

True about the suitcase weights being "manageable". But the weight bumper on my Kubota M4700 was 200+# and had to be removed whenever I put the loader on. Putting the loader on and off of that tractor was a bear of a job especially since I never had the hypothetical "flat concrete surface" for it to sit on.

Ken

I assumed he didn't have a FEL. If he has a FEL, then why does he need front end weights? My FEL is my front end weight. If needed, I can quickly detach the bucket to make it more manageable.
I do have a125 hp ag tractor with FEL and 800 lbs of front end weights. The loader misses the weights when raising and lowering. I take the loader off for field work because I don't want the extra weight and the loader can occassionally bounce in the field. The loader is off the tractor much more than on. I am too lazy to take the weights off for FEL work.

 

[Piperflyer]

Here's what I made for my Kubota from scrap 6"x6" and some concrete. Keeps the front planted down real well when using the brush hog or finish mower. I have to take it off when using the FEL, but I can attach or take off in less than 10 minutes.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...otos/78139d1180612801-front-ballast-kub01.jpg

 

[sandman2234]

I would be concerned about leaving weights on while the FEL is on, and being used. Most tractor front ends are capable of withstanding some abuse from a FEL, but adding several hundred pounds of additional weight to it is just asking for accelerated wear on the front end parts. I realize that you may not do it often, or load the bucket to it's max, but it will probably show up as wear in the future.
David from jax

 

[Ken45101]

I would be concerned about leaving weights on while the FEL is on, and being used. Most tractor front ends are capable of withstanding some abuse from a FEL, but adding several hundred pounds of additional weight to it is just asking for accelerated wear on the front end parts. I realize that you may not do it often, or load the bucket to it's max, but it will probably show up as wear in the future.
David from jax

Good point! I know when I get a bucket full of wet dirt with my M5040, the front tires worry me

On the M4700 I mentioned, there was no room for the front weight bumper when the loader was attached. Being 2WD, I didn't want the loader on there most of the time (no traction, little braking), so most of the time the loader sat in the barn. When I did need the loader, it was a two hour job between removing the weight system and getting the loader on.

Ken

 

[Piperflyer]

I don't have the weights on when the FEL is attached. It takes me 10 minutes at the most to take or put the weights on or off.

 

[radman1]

I would be concerned about leaving weights on while the FEL is on, and being used. Most tractor front ends are capable of withstanding some abuse from a FEL, but adding several hundred pounds of additional weight to it is just asking for accelerated wear on the front end parts. I realize that you may not do it often, or load the bucket to it's max, but it will probably show up as wear in the future.
David from jax

Yes, I agree with you to a degree. However, my tractor is much bigger than a CUT. I can lift about 5000 lbs at the pins, which is still ahead of the weights by 2-3 ft. It is rare to almost never if I lift that much weight. If I do, it usually is only breifly and short distances over smooth ground. The 93" bucket alone weighs almost 900 lbs. Most of the time, if I am not using the loader, I remove the bucket which offsets the amount of front end weight. 800 lbs seems like a lot, but tractor weighs nearly 12,000 lbs without the loader and has MFWD. 800 lbs for me is like 200 lbs front weights for a 3000 lb CUT. It always amazes how much weight was put on the fronts of older tractors that were 2 wheel drive with FELs that would lift try to lift what I can. 2 small spindles carry all that weight. However, occassionally they broke. Call me lazy, but if I switch back and forth several times a year, it just isn't worth the effort of switching out the weight. It actually takes longer to switch out the weights than it does to add/remove the loader. My weights are held on my 2 threaded rods. My loader is removed with partial removal of 2 pins. The 6 hydraulic couples are all attached/detached by just pulling a lever. Doesn't matter if the couplers are under hydraulic pressure.
Based on how I use the loader, does leaving the weights cause additional wear? Theoretically, yes. In practicality, probably not. Many people on TBN leave their CUTS in 4WD all the time. I think that is crazy. That tire scrubb from constant 4WD has much greater wear on components and tires, then just carrying some extra weight. My ag tractors automatically disengage the MFWD when turning unless I push a button to override. Smart thinking on the manufactures part.